Permission to Ogle
by DoomKitteh
Summary: EDI, with Liara and Shepard's permission, gives Samantha a few things to help her relax. Only they do the complete opposite.
1. Chapter 1

Samantha Traynor stared in uncertain curiosity at the attached files on her omni-tool. When EDI's body had walked towards her (she was pretty sure EDI had actually sauntered, making her a bigger distraction than usual), Traynor's curiosity was already peaked. EDI usually spoke to her over the comm links throughout the ship, it was rare that the eye-pleasing body ever made physical contact with her (something she was both grateful for and disappointed by).

"I have accrued a few things that may... interest you." EDI had said. If the accented voice hadn't been a distraction maybe she would have caught the underlining amusement in the tone, but she was on a ship full of beautiful women and sometimes she let her mind drift a bit too far while they were in front of her.

Before she had any time to answer EDI had spoken again, "I've sent them to your omni-tool. Your discretion is of utmost importance. I would recommend the small area just below engineering."

EDI walked away after that, Samantha far too confused to remember that she didn't have to have EDI's body in front of her to ask what the hell she had gone on about.

So now she was sitting on a dusty cot that had undoubtedly seen better days. Her hand hovered over her omni, unsure of what to open first. The file names gave no indication of what they were; just a letter and a number.

She scrolled down, passing the A's (a relatively large amount), two titled C-1 and C-2. There were a few D's, her curiosity increased at the dozen or so labeled ST—the only group with a second letter. Samantha's interest grew when the pictures and vid files labeled with W's seemed to take more space than all the others combined, dwarfing the handful of Z's that followed.

Despite the overwhelming number of files in the W category, the ST's nagged at her. Chewing on her lip she nervously opened the file; her eyes widened before she quickly shut them and slammed her hand on her omni-tool. "Oh my god. Shit, this is..." Samantha slowly opened one eye as if the image would change to something else. Slowly taking her hand off her arm the image flickered back on, and Samantha nearly sobbed in relief that at least she hadn't opened a vid file.

She attempted to talk herself out of actually viewing what was in front of her but failed and soon found herself staring at the picture in front of her; Shepard and Liara were caught in a heated embrace in a shuttle area of Mars. She briefly wondered how EDI came by the picture, being told that only Vega and Williams had accompanied her on that mission. She hesitantly opened another and she couldn't contain the smile that adorned her face.

EDI had managed to capture a rare moment of the two relaxing along the presidium's park grounds. Shepard's head was lying in Liara's lap, Liara was running her hand in a fascinated awe through Shepard's hair.

Her eyes widened, and her breathing became slightly labored as she pulled up a vid, Shepard had caught Liara off-guard in the Normandy's elevator and pinned her to the wall with her own biotics and fully ravished Liara's mouth before the elevator stopped and Shepard's low chuckle could be heard as she softly kissed Liara's lips and sauntered out, leaving Liara scrambling to hold herself up once she was free of the biotic hold.

Samantha tried to clear her suddenly dry throat, now decidedly nervous about the rest of the labeled ST vids. Instead, she scrolled back, needing only a few seconds to deduce the A's had to be Diana Allers and while Samantha talked to her on a daily basis she was still a bit wary of the reporter's intentions.

The rest of the list took her little time to decide that the letters were just the last names of females aboard the Normandy. The few she didn't recognize were quickly established as she opened and closed them just as quickly. EDI had been ... kind enough to include former members of the crew.

She prayed to whatever god would listen that she never meets Miranda Lawson in person. Samantha doubted she could get away with placing the blame on whatever action that followed the encounter exclusively on EDI.

Minutes passed by as she gazed at the list, her feelings being torn in multiple directions.  
The invasion of privacy was so powerful it had her drowning in guilt for just the few attachments she had opened, out of the _need_ to know who was who.

While she kept telling herself how wrong this was and how rude, invasive and all those other nefarious things looking at any of these were, she couldn't convince herself perfectly just to let them sit there, unopened.

They were all fighting for their lives, ok she wasn't actually fighting, but she was doing something to help, and it was stressful. Exhausting too, and she needed some kind of down time and if gazing at beautiful women, who just happened to be people she actually knew instead of nameless woman in a magazine of some sort, then where was the harm in that? She was just looking, right? Yeah, right, she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever stooped so low that I feel the need to compare myself to an old horny man," She grumbled aloud, "and take about fifty showers." For various reasons, she thought, "This feels so wrong..."

"Is there something wrong, Specialist?"

"Bloody hell!" Samantha shrieked, her head hitting a pipe behind her as she jumped in surprise. She couldn't help but be glad that she didn't have the physical representation of these images, for sure they'd have been scattered and lost with how visceral her reaction had been.

"I apologize for frightening you," EDI's voice cut into her deep breathing as she tried to instill calm to the rapid beating of her heart.

"It's—It's alright, no harm done...much," Samantha mumbled, gingerly poking around the back of her head, relived she didn't feel any sort of liquid, but wincing at the pain just lightly touching the area caused, "I—I don't feel right in looking at these but...thanks for your uh...for trying to help me."

"I was given permission, so you should not feel any wrong-doing in viewing them."

"Permission? Someone gave you—gave me, permission? What—who in their right mind would—"

"Commander Shepard believes you could use a distraction, and it was to reward your hard work. Shepard believes that maybe it could partially make up for not being able to get your toothbrush."

There was a slight pause, and Samantha had been caught off-guard in the silence before EDI spoke, "That was a joke."

"I—yes of course. Um, so... she approved me to be a crazy voyeur to the crew and herself?" She said, disbelieving.

"I believe it was Doctor T'Soni who brought it up, as she provided most of the content. Shepard was convinced shortly after."

"I'm sure she was," Sam grumbled with humor. It had taken Liara a day to figure out the massive crushing she'd been doing on Shepard and barely five minutes for Samantha to be caught tripping over her tongue and stuttering like a fool in front of Liara.

Liara had, surprisingly, taken it in good humor. Teasing Samantha with the knowledge as well as taking to some mild flirting. Which was just odd and no one believed her because that just wasn't whom Liara came off as. She knew now that there was a lot more to Liara T'Soni than anyone seemed to realize.

There was a pause; it was strange for her to think of it like that, really. EDI had been getting better at the courtesy of saying goodbye, despite her actually being the ship, so she wasn't truly leaving. She probably had her lesser processors monitoring everything even conversations or actions that were undoubtedly personal. Actually, thinking along those lines was starting to further entice her over-active imagination and add to her growing headache.

"Doctor T'Soni has just inquired if you'd looked at any of the ones labeled 'W'? She wishes to know if you would like the rest of the files."

Traynor glanced at the already massive list of W's, which she assumed were of Ashley Williams, and looked around incredulously as if she could see them lying around, "There's more!?"

"Yes." EDI replied, unhelpful.

She continued to gape at the list, there had been over thirty files and from what she could gather by the name of the files, at least six of them were vids. Samantha couldn't fathom them being like the two of Shepard and Liara. She couldn't even decide if she wanted them to be the same or of utterly mundane things that wouldn't revoke any kind of response from Samantha.

She managed to squeak out a response, "Just—I—" She cleared her throat, "No, uh, thanks EDI. I'll—um, let her know if I need...more."

"I will inform her of your denial, have a good evening, Specialist."

Samantha sputtered after that, EDI's phrasing leaving her feeling more and more flustered.

"Liara and EDI should never share the same space; they're far too dangerous together." Samantha hesitated over what Liara had wanted her to view the most, before scrolling up and opening the only two labeled with a C. The one's she hadn't figured out yet.

Both images showed the eldest female member of the crew, Doctor Chakwas, in a compromising position. In the left image Chakwas seemed to be trying to locate something in a storage bin, her figure bent over, showing off a fairly well formed backside. "Oh my god…" Samantha rasped out. She hadn't even fathomed Chakwas would be considered in this list, and now she was certain she would never enter the medbay again, nor try to look at the other picture.

Deciding that Liara's suggestion was the safest after all, (something she could hardly believe, that damn asari had a wicked sense of humor) she went to select one of the top files, hoping the start of the list was the tamest.

Before she could choose, one of the vid files suddenly opened and started to play and she knew, from that point on that she would never again be able to look at Ashley Williams in any other way that wasn't obvious desire.

* * *

Samantha hadn't moved from her spot in the mess since she had arrived forty minutes earlier. The crew came and went, passing strange looks her way after failing to catch her attention with their riveting morning conversations. They were met with awkward silence, Samantha's eyes glazed over, and a mug of tea, hat had cooled long ago, cradled in front of her face.

A motion from across the deck finally caught her attention as she honed in on the figure of Ashley Williams nearly stumbling along, holding herself against the wall. She had obviously just woken up and was in desperate need to drown herself in a cup of crappy coffee.

Samantha inhaled quickly, her thoughts never having strayed far from the images she had stared at for hours into the early morning (or late morning) her mind supplied. Her gaze never left Ashley's figure as she finally managed to drag herself to the coffee machine and quickly down a cup with a grimace before pouring herself another and sighing in satisfaction, causing Sam to squander a small whimper.

She was going to kill Shepard and Liara, or at least threaten. She was pretty sure she'd just curl into a ball and cry if either one had any intention of being hostile towards her. She'd seen vids of them in action, and as dangerously beautiful as they were, she was glad she was on their side.

Ashley grabbed one of the fresh fruits they had just picked up earlier that week, throwing a slight nod of acknowledgement in Traynor's direction before heading back to the lounge, not even noticing how Traynor's face reddened and her eyes glossed again as she followed Ashley's departure.

"Something on your mind, Specialist Traynor?" Liara's voice ripped her out of her current state and somehow managed to remind her of the rippling muscles in Ashley's back while she helped James move around some boxes in the cargo bay. She didn't even notice the tea that managed to free itself from her mug when she started in surprise at the vocal intrusion.

"I hate you, I hate you so, so much," She muttered, her lip curling in distaste as she finally noticed how cold her tea had become.

"Oh, I am sure the sentiment is quite the opposite," Liara managed a smirk that was delightfully sensual and yet Samantha felt it was downright evil.

Before Traynor could deny everything, Shepard strolled up and dropped a kiss on Liara's head before setting down a plate that was overflowing with breakfast foods, "Mornin'," She mumbled around a mouth already stuffed.

Liara gave Shepard an affectionate glance as Traynor's thoughts strayed to the rare occasion Shepard blurted out something entirely random about her time with Cerberus. They had been enjoying a late meal, half the crew scattered around the mess and Sam had yet to touch her meal, more focused on the heaping plate of food in front of the Commander. Shepard grinned, not caring that she hadn't fully finished what was in her mouth (something Samantha was coming to understand was certainly an unfortunate habit), and blamed the newly found appetite on the crazy amount of biotics she now possessed, something she delighted in displaying at random and the most inopportune moments. Garrus chimed in shortly after, Shepard always ate like that, earning him a light jolt of blue.

Sam managed a smile when Liara rested her head on Shepard's shoulder, her hand placed lightly on the arm Shepard wasn't currently using to shovel food into her mouth, before glaring at the both of them, "I hate you both," She hissed, "You both suck and I have half a mind to do—to...to do something awful to you!"

Shepard choked, coughing a few times before letting out a laugh, Liara rubbing her back in soothing circles, "I take it EDI gave you our gift last night."

"Gift!?" She whispered harshly, "Are you two insane? I cannot—" Her words caught in her throat, the woman she couldn't get off her mind for the last six hours was strolling back into the room, towards them.

"Hey Skipper, plan on letting anyone else eat?" Ashley stole a couple pieces of the crappy fake bacon that adorned Shepard's plate and plopped down in the seat next to Traynor.

Samantha knew she shouldn't stare, and she was breaking so many of her own rules. The conversation around her simmered to a buzz as the sight of Ashley filled her vision. She didn't hear Shepard jokingly reprimand Ashley, forcing her to add 'ma'am' to her previous statement, too caught up in the movement of Ashley's long hair moving across her face. "I really hate all of you," She muttered unknowingly.

"You alright, Specialist?" Ashley's worried voice filtered through her haze.

"F-fine!" She managed to get out, quickly standing and cursing aloud as the rest of her tea spilled all over her and the table. She scrambled away from Ashley, who tried assisting in cleaning, and took off towards the elevators. Hoping to lose herself in the work that was waiting for her.

"The hell was that about?" She heard Ashley say, followed by Shepard and Liara's jubilant laughter before the elevator closed and rescued her from further embarrassment.

* * *

_I don't even remember what made me write this, I've had this sitting around for quite a while because I haven't finished it. Which makes me sad because I love it but I cannot figure out what to do next lol (considering it wasn't supposed to be more than one part) ah well, I love Samantha and I love Ashley and so there's this. :3_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN:: Hey hey! Thank you all for your interest : 3~ Sorry it took so long! Aside from regular distractions, I pretty much have to write this from my phone(I only got my PC back about a week ago, but still boo) The new DLC also distracted me a hell of a lot but I am ever grateful for it because more Samantha(and her fucking toothbrush lol)! _

_I would also like to thank Druzhnik for giving me tips and looking things over, great help~_

_I should have stated this in the first chapter (forgive me I really just wanted to get it posted) this will eventually lead to Ash x Sam fun times. It was originally just going to be left as is(with a few added scenes) but I needed more of my own story lol. So at the moment I do have a very very rough outline and eventually the rating will change. Ugh there was more I wanted to say but the thoughts ran away from me. Anyway, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Samantha sighed, and she lethargically moved towards one of the shuttle bay's consoles that she knew was for purchasing new weapons and other knick knacks. She pondered a few of the pistols, it'd been years since she'd actually held a service gun, let alone fire one at anything (she tried to ignore the fact that her coveted toothbrush was more expensive than some of them, apparently it was cheaper to fight mercenaries and reapers than it was to fight plaque).Truthfully her reasoning for wanting one now was to try and find new distractions from the content she had received the other night.

_God had it really only been two days?_

"Need any help?"

Sam was too tired to react physically, but her surprise at the intrusion showed on her face, "Damn it," she shouted. In her haste to face Cortez she stumbled over her feet, her exhaustion severely limiting her body's own reaction time.

"Whoa, hey," Steve reached out, steadying Sam, "I don't think you should be checking out weapons if you're this tired."

"I can't sleep and I needed a distraction," she sounded utterly defeated, and she certainly felt it.

Cortez pulled out a small stool he usually kept hidden from Vega, something he started doing in an effort to get the man to stop pretending to be interested in conversation while attempting to show off his body. Steve could admit, to himself at least, he liked the show but there was only so much of Vega's arrogance he could handle at a time (even if it was well-deserved).

Steve helped Samantha onto it and steadied her, bending slightly to get a good look at her. He shook his head at her dejected expression, "So you thought playing with guns would help?" Steve chuckled, walking to his work space and grabbing one of his bottled waters and handed it to Sam, "I think only Garrus and the Lieutenant Commander can find that kind of peace with a gun."

He realized too late he'd said the wrong thing when Sam shut her eyes and brought her hands to her hair, clutching chunks of it and taking deep breaths. Steve smiled ruefully, "Who do I blame for that reaction?"

"Doctor T'Soni," Sam stated, now rubbing at her tired eyes. All she wanted was some sleep, but the second she closed her eyes all she could see was the curve of Ashley's lower back; twisted and shimmering with perspiration as she laid punches to the work-out bag hanging near Vega's work space. In the back of her mind she realized every place she had gone to try and ignore the thoughts of Ashley running rampant in her mind were places Ashley was most often seen in, she chose to ignore that revelation, as well.

The confusion on his face made her bark out with laughter, "I'm sorry, sorry," her laughter bubbled up again, and she nearly fell off the chair.

"Yeah, you definitely need some sleep," he muttered, holding her steady. "You're not drunk are you?" He asked after a moment of watching her loose it.

"No," she gasped out, her laughter fading slightly, "I wish." She paused briefly, "No, no I don't actually, that would probably make this worse." She went off in another bout of laughter, bordering on hysteria. It was shortly followed by hiccups and tears streaming down her face.

Only slightly unnerved, Steve calmly placed his hands over Sam's, "I find it hard to believe Doctor T'Soni is responsible for your current state. She seems a bit shy with almost everyone on this ship." He hesitated before adding, "Unless it's some kind of crush because—"

The peal of laughter that followed caught him off guard, it was full and rich, like he'd just told the funniest joke she'd ever heard. Not at all like her previous bouts that had her bordering crazy town.

"You alright, Specialist?" The eerie feeling of déjà vu flickered through Sam as she caught the gaze of Ashley Williams staring curiously at the two of them while stepping into the shuttle bay.

"Fine, perfectly fine!" Sam was proud of herself that she didn't visibly flinch or scamper away as she had all day. The squeak in her voice, however, was something else entirely. She could feel her cheeks flush quickly as Ashley moved closer, her eyes unwittingly lowered and she stared, mesmerized by the slight sway of Ashley's hips.

She could feel her face growing warmer, her memory flashing back to the second vid that opened by itself(no, not by itself, it definitely had to have been the work of EDI).

* * *

_It took her about three minutes into the vid to cover her eyes and try to shut it down. Another twenty-four seconds to realize that EDI, and Liara by proxy were forcing her to view them in their entirety and would not allow her to turn them off._

_In all honesty, the vid _had_ been tame as she had originally hoped. The only problem was while it was a perfectly innocent vid of Ashley cleaning and reassembling her guns, Samantha's mind had chosen to go in a different, more risqué path. Noticing the muscles in Ashley's arms move and jump as she skillfully and methodically stripped her sniper rifle and cleaned it before piecing it back together and then moving on to her shotgun._

_Her brain had decided it was perfectly in line to go from Ashley skilled with her hands with guns, to skilled with her hands in other avenues. Therein laid the problem. While these viewings were completely harmless, almost like watching security footage, Samantha's imagination had other ideas._

* * *

Sam was jerked out of her memories by a warm hand on her forehead, "You feel kind of warm," Ashley said softly.

She wouldn't piece it together until later, but Ashley's concern and care of her supposed decline in health was almost identical to her demeanor when she was working on her guns. One of the many quirks of Ashley that Sam was beginning to grow fond of. _Reluctantly, totally reluctantly_.

It took Sam a few seconds to catch up on the fact that Ash was inches away from her, touching her, but when she was finally able to process it, her new-found clumsiness arose with abandon—well she'd like to pretend it was new.

An undignified squawk left her mouth as she felt herself try and lean backwards, only to misjudge her own balance and her eyes widened when she felt the stool beneath her move forward and her body continued in the other direction.

The pain that rippled through her back and head paled in comparison to the humiliation she was feeling as she stared up at the ceiling of the shuttle bay. The snorts of laughter Steve and Ashley attempted to smother, after their initial worry as she started to fall, had not helped.

Sam groaned from the pain and humiliation, and covered her face, "That did not just happen." Before she could attempt any kind of dignity (she's sure it would have only had the opposite effect) she felt herself being pulled off the ground.

She stumbled when she became vertical again, but there was a hand on her elbow and another settling itself onto her hip just as quickly in an attempt to steady her further.

Her breath caught in her throat when she opened her eyes to find Ashley closer than she'd ever been. Ashley's eyes traced her face and body, checking her over, the concern evident, despite the knowing smile at her tumble. "Well, I guess it's good most of your work consists of you standing around the CIC. Wouldn't want those pesky chairs to run from you."

Sam only nodded, still distracted by how close Ashley had become. Her body tingling when it came into contact with the lean, muscular frame in front of her, her time in basic training recognizing the smell that accompanied the hours of cleaning guns mixing with a smell that couldn't be anything but Ashley.

"So you do have a soft side, LC," Steve joked. He couldn't help but glance curiously at Samantha's glazed expression.

"Just for those in distress," she winked at Sam and gave her one more look-over. Nodding her head, as if to affirm everything was good, she patted Samantha's shoulder and stepped back; just far enough to still be able to catch her if she fell over.

Something Ashley suspected was getting increasingly more likely to happen as Sam slouched over, just slightly, when Ashley let go of her.

"Sisters," Ashley further clarified for Steve. "Oldest of three, helped take care of them whenever my dad was deployed."

"Being like a sister to you is so the last thing I want," Sam muttered, unaware that the words left her mouth.

"Did you say something?" Ashley asked over Steve's chuckle.

Samantha blinked a few times, her mind still trying to catch up with everything. Once she realized her error, she flushed and stumbled over herself to deny everything, "N-nothing! No, no I didn't. Words were not said. By me. I said nothing. No."

Ashley only stared at Sam like she was a little crazy. Cortez continued to laugh, slowly walking back towards the work he set aside; Ashley had a handle on things, he was sure Sam had forgotten he was there anyway.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to take you to Chakwas to check you over?"

Nodding, Sam took a deep breath, nearly moaning at the scent she inhaled earlier that came back with a vengance and only one thought crossed her mind.

She was entirely _fucked_ and a hundred percent in lust with Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN:: Hello, lovelies. Apologies for the long wait. Partially due to my easily distracted self, the other part is me thinking I actually already posted it and didn't Woops. Ok so video games distract me more than I can count, so does Netflix. Which reminds me, I've been on a Star Trek: Voyager binge, so some vocabulary might intersect. Which should probably help more than anything because it is space haha. _

_Thanks again to Druzhnik for being amazing and checking things over! Now that I think I've fixed everything I hope you all enjoy while I mess around with the fourth chapter, that is turning out to be longer than I thought._

_Also, feel free to hate me. You'll understand...(coughs)_

* * *

Halfway up to the third deck Samantha stiffened, pulling herself out the haze she was in when she realized they were on their way to see Doctor Chakwas. In her current state—and the only reason she'd let Ashley accompany her to the med-bay—was because Ashley could have asked her to dance naked with the newly acquired Prothean (a real live Prothean, the crew tended to verbalize over and over) and she would have agreed without a second thought.

Speaking of, Samantha took a quick glance out of the corner of her eyes and tried not to vocalize the whimper that wanted to escape. Ashley was still close, poised to catch her should she fall again. It was something Sam briefly thought of doing, falling, but she knew she was too exhausted to put in the effort. She wanted to be able to remember every detail; the way Ashley looked, probably worried and nurturing all at the same time. The way the muscles in her arms would have felt, holding Sam's weight; all lean and noticeable and smooth, and how warm she had to be. Sam bet that if Ashley was to catch her and lean in close she could get a nice brush on her face of that soft looking hair. Such a shame her tired mind was not up to the task (never too tired to think about it, though). "Pity," she sighed softly.

She felt more than saw Ashley shift and she realized the elevator doors had opened, and Ashley put a gentle hand on her elbow and steered her towards the med-bay. Sam didn't see the amused smile from Liara who was sipping tea and looking over a data-pad, or the curious questions Liara received from Tali about what was so funny about locating extra filters for her suit.

Upon entering the med-bay Sam froze by the door, Ashley bumping into her, and her gaze immediately went to the floor.

"Williams, such a rare sight to see you in here if it isn't after a mission," Ashley grinned and Chakwas continued, "and Specialist Traynor! What a delight, and how fortunate, seeing as how you've managed to evade the physical every member of this crew is supposed to have."

"Uh well, you see... the thing is..." Sam briefly glanced up, guilty expression on her face and quickly looked away at a point on the wall behind Chakwas' shoulder. "I don't actually do the physical stuff, so is that truly necessary?" She asked, her voice squeaking in the middle of her fumbling. Ashley laughed and carefully led her to one of the beds, making sure she was seated before leaving with a whispered, "Good luck."

"When was the last time you slept?" Chakwas asked, suddenly in Sam's personal space taking her temperature and checking her vital signs.

Sam figured it was probably a good thing that Chakwas was as skilled as she was and had noticed without needing to be told. Then again what that said about her actual appearance was disheartening. "For longer than a couple of hours at once? Two days ago," she yawned. "Stupid Liara."

"Hmm. No concussion that's good," Chakwas hummed, positioning Samantha so she was now lying on the bed. She couldn't help but notice how Sam kept avoiding her gaze, her person all-together. "I might have to get Commander Shepard to give you some shore leave the next time we land somewhere."

"Oooh, shore leave. Time away from the ship. Away from their evil influences!" Samantha cackled, her voice starting to slur.

"Yes, away from their...evil influences," Chakwas repeated, feeling she was going to have an interesting conversation with the Commander. "This is a small dose of etomidate to put you to sleep for a few hours, okay?"

"At least it isn't thaopa-thiopants- that other stuff," there was a pause and Sam moved lethargically. Chakwas immediately lowered the dosage, Traynor was about to pass out on her own accord, but she needed to stay asleep, and for whatever reason she couldn't do that on her own. "Only if it means I won't dream such evil, rude, arousing dreams. Those are bad."

"Yes, I'm sure they are. Rest now," Chakwas chuckled as Traynor's eyes finally slipped shut. "EDI please inform the Commander that I wish to speak with her once she is free."

"The Commander is currently doing an insufficient job at constructing a scale model of a salarian interceptor, an interruption would be advisable."

Chakwas shook her head, grinning as she imagined the commander concentrating on her model ship, no doubt frustrated beyond belief, "Yes, thank you, EDI."

"You are most welcome, Doctor Chakwas." Chakwas briefly thought EDI sounded more accommodating than usual, for a reason she could not fathom, before dismissing it and heading to the Commander's quarters.

* * *

The sight that greeted her upon entrance to the Commander's cabin was only slightly unexpected. The pout and frustration dancing over the Commander's face was one she knew she'd find. The pieces from the model ship stuck in the Commander's hair, however, was not.

"The great Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, defeated by glue and plastic."

The suddenness in which Chakwas spoke or at least Shepard felt it was sudden, caused the Commander's hand to slip and she somehow managed to put the wing of the ship through the cockpit.

Shepard scowled at the low laughter from Doctor Chakwas, "I can put together almost any weapon currently on and off the market and sometimes real airborne ships," Shepard pouted, pushing aside the monstrosity in front of her. "Yet, these things I have to bribe Tali or Ashley to put together for me and not tell anyone."

"Well, let's just hope the Reapers don't find out your weakness of model building." Chakwas moved towards the Commander, who had been sitting on her floor and using the low table as her workspace, and bent down to pick up a few stray pieces, "I'm afraid I'm here on duty, unfortunately."

Shepard paused in trying to remove pieces of the salarian interceptor without ripping out her hair, "What is it?"

"There is a member of the crew who is in need of shore leave," Chakwas started, hesitating in her wording, "It isn't anything risky yet, but there will be intense ramifications and loss of functionality if the stress levels do not decrease, soon." Chakwas folded her arms, "Truthfully, most of the crew could use the down time, off the ship, but for now in the case of mental health we do have someone who could use the time right away. Preferably in the next few days, if that is doable, Commander."

Shepard sat back, running her hand through her hair, briefly getting stuck on glue and a couple plastic pieces; she pulled her hand out, grumbling to herself. She pursed her lips, she had a feeling she knew exactly whom Chakwas was mentioning. As the highest ranking officer on the ship she could ask who, to be sure, but there really was no need. There had been only one person who seemed to be falling apart, rapidly at that, and she worried because she had a feeling they hadn't even left the shallow end of all the shit they were going to have to swim through for this war. She needed to speak with Liara and EDI, there had to be more going on than what she was aware of.

"There are a few things I need to take care of on Tuchanka that I'm afraid cannot wait. For now though," Shepard stood, still tugging at her hair, "If at all possible, I'll try and get Traynor on light duty."

Chakwas gave Shepard a stern look, "I believe you know more about this situation than I was aware of, Commander Shepard."

Shepard grimaced, realizing her error, "I wish I knew the exact details, but I do know part of the cause and will help to reduce her stress. Believe me when I say that you do not want to know. Hell, I don't think I want to know," Shepard grumbled, still struggling with her glued hair.

Chakwas walked closer and pulled out the last piece stuck to the Commander's hair, ignoring the yelp of pain and the whimper at the loss of a small chunk of hair, "If this has anything to do with her behavior earlier, than I have to disagree with that assessment. Please handle your missions quickly and preferably with minimal injuries. Specialist Traynor is not the only one on the verge of some serious mental and physical ramifications." With a perturbed look, Chakwas nodded before turning away and leaving the Commander alone with a chunk of her hair stuck to the salarian interceptor side panel in her hand.

"Dismissed?"

* * *

"What do you think that was about?" Came Tali's filtered voice pulling Liara out of her musings.

She knew, of course—or in theory as it were, why Traynor was being escorted to the med-bay. It was with some sort of strange pleasure watching Traynor become slightly unhinged and flustered when she encountered certain crew members. On a surprising note, it also appealed to her intellectually. While she had become more confident in her own person, she still hadn't gotten a true handle on how to deal with any human other than Shepard (and even Shepard at times still confused her). It was a curious thing to watch as the innocent (mostly) pictures Samantha had been given had somehow become something far more damning than Liara had come to realize.

Seeing Williams escorting Traynor sparked something else, though. There was genuine worry in Ashley's actions and facial expressions. Liara bit her lip, wondering if perhaps they had gone too far. Liara, then, briefly wondered if EDI was also monitoring these things, maybe they could continue to observe later, she was sure to have more surveillance of the two interacting.

"Perhaps Specialist Traynor has been working too hard," Liara finally responded, ignoring the tilt of Tali's head. She knew enough that Tali didn't believe her. She also knew that if Tali found out she wouldn't be entirely happy for being out of the loop of something entertaining.

Not to mention the endless poking fun at Liara for being jealous.

Tali pointed a finger at Liara, about to call her on her fabrication when Chakwas nearly stormed out of the med-bay, drawing her attention away from Liara. "This just keeps getting interesting! Liara tell me what's going on! I know you have something to do with it, Miss Shadow Broker!" Tali turned to face Liara, only to find her missing and Ashley in her place, food halfway up to her mouth.

"Liara's the Shadow Broker?"

Tali drew back in surprise, the filtered squeak sounding so odd that Ashley choked on her food in amusement. "Serves you right," Tali grumbled putting a hand to her fast beating heart. "Keelah, don't you know it's rude to sneak up on people!" Tali ignored the smirk on Ashley's face, "Where did Liara go?"

Ashley shrugged; it wasn't unusual for Liara to disappear when she showed up. She'd have to sort that out soon, as soon as she sorted herself and the Commander out, anyway. Ashley stabbed at her food in aggravation, this shit with her grudges against Cerberus and the Commander's association with them were starting to affect more than just Ashley and Shepard and she knew she'd have to suck it up and apologize soon.

"Must have had some Shadow stuff to take care of. Guess I missed out on a lot," Ashley muttered under her breath. Putting aside her misgivings for the previous year, Ashley stirred her food and looked at the med-bay briefly before turning back to her food.

"Is there something wrong with—" Tali gestured behind her, "well whoever that was?"

"Comms Specialist," Ashley chewed on her bottom lip and she started to play with her food again, in worry. "Probably spoke with her or saw her before going into the War Room." Tali nodded and Ashley continued, "I think she's just overworked herself. Girl looks like she hasn't slept in a few days. That and she hit her head," Ashley said, feeling a little guilty because she was sure it was her fault somehow. Not that she's sure why, but perhaps Traynor wasn't entirely too keen on people being so close to her. She couldn't really think of any other reason as to why someone would jump back like that.

"Was she looking for communications under something?" Tali asked, laughter in her voice.

Unable to help herself, Ashley snorted in laughter, "No, I guess I got a little too close and she freaked, fell off the stool she was sitting on and," Ashley knocked on the table, "bam, right on the floor."

Tali crossed her arms and Ashley could see that Tali was squinting her eyes. "What?"

"Communications Specialist Traynor? Hm, S something..." Tali trailed off trying to remember what she'd heard from other people, "Samantha Traynor, right?"

Ashley nodded, "Yeah, that's her." She frowned, unsure of why it mattered.

She couldn't see it, but from the sound of her voice, Tali was grinning like an idiot, "Oh yeah, I'm sure she jumped away from you because you were too close." Tali could barely finish speaking before falling into a few peals of laughter. Recalling the brief glance of Traynor before she and Ashley moved into the med-bay Tali continued through her laughter, "I'm sure you also think her red face was because she's running a fever or something?"

"What else would it be?" Ashley stared at Tali in confusion and a bit of frustration.

Tali continued, ignoring Ashley, "Liara is definitely up to something. She's keeping something from me and I bet it's fun and gossipy!" Tali stood and gave a careless wave to Ashley as she made a beeline for Liara's room, entering it without even knocking.

"What the hell is going on?"

* * *

Samantha found herself staring out the vast window of the starboard observation deck. She'd only been in here a few times during the Normandy's retrofit. They had ended up using it as one of the many storage spaces while re-equipping the Normandy with Alliance grade materials (or at least labeled SA, she was certain some of it came back as the paint job being the only thing "new" about it). The really weird thing was everything seemed a little hazy around the edges and for some reason she couldn't turn around to see what the Lieutenant Commander had done to the room she never did see the finishing touches of.

So it was with a surprised and frightened gasp to feel someone gripping her waist and another hand tracing the outline of her ear before continuing down her neck and shoulder. There was a whispered, "Missed you" the voice slightly husky and very familiar and Sam felt her body relax and lean back into someone. A very feminine someone.

She tried to turn around, but found herself unable to. Her mouth opened and words tumbled out, "Missed you too." Alright, she didn't even mean to say that, they just came out. Okay, definitely dreaming, I hope. Otherwise, well, no, have to be dreaming.

"Ash..." The name came out in a breathy moan and it only confirmed what Sam already knew. There was a light nip at her ear and she was unable to hold in a gasp.

"Shh..." Ashley sighed into her throat, placing light kisses here and there as her hands continued to trail up Sam's sides. "Wonder what it's like to be fucked up against a window looking into space?"

"Shit," Sam breathed out, the suddenness of Ashley's harsh words and the image they brought forth left her breathless. She knew she was dreaming but, damn, she did not want to wake up anytime soon. Sam grabbed one of Ashley's wandering hands and placed it between her breasts, letting out a contented moan as Ashley acquiesced to her silent request and continued her exploration of Sam's breasts. Sam let her other hand lose itself in Ashley's hair, gripping it whenever Ashley's mouth or hands found a particular spot. "Hopefully, I can tell you in a few minutes," she finally replied.

Ashley chuckled against her neck taking one last taste before spinning Sam around and pinning her to the window. Sam could feel herself practically wheezing and swore she would kill someone if her asthma kicked in right now. Ashley pulled her body flush against Sam's and grinned at the moan that followed.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's going to be longer than a few minutes."

* * *

_bring it on ladies and gents haha_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N EDIT 26/7/13: Changed the tense so that it actually matches the rest of the story(apologies on the inconsistency)_

* * *

Sam jerked awake. She could feel the sweat on her body rapidly cooling and it brought her a small amount of relief from the heat that seemed to be continuously coursing through her. She was grateful she had the foresight to bunker down in the sub-deck of engineering; the gasping breaths coming from her lungs would have drawn too many questions had she decided to sleep in the crew quarters.

She wearily rubbed at her face. It had been two days since her visit to Chakwas and she was finally able to look at the female crew without having to avert her eyes.

It helped that Shepard had taken the ground crew to Tuchanka two days ago and they'd been down there ever since. Her usefulness had increased significantly, as well. Trying to coordinate between a group of turians and track Cerberus all while the Reapers were within their vicinity did much in the way of forgetting.

Samantha shivered, her hands gripped the fabric of her military issued pants in effort to not touch skin that was begging for physical contact. She sat up and leaned against the pipes, tilting her head as far back as she could get it in the awkward space, and let out a long shaky breath.

Her most recent dreams have been filled with Reapers and the Normandy floating in pieces in a dark realm of space-in hindsight it was a relief to have something different-compared to the ones she had before this mess started. During the retrofit they featured, what she had thought was, a virtual intellegent voice and some interesting scenarios thanks to her rather bizarre extranet searches during the copious amounts of downtime.

Now they featured a very prominent and real human, who she currently has to live with for months at the very least (if they would all even live that long).

She sighed again, realizing while her breathing had calmed down, her body had not. "EDI," she croaked out and her face crinkled in confusion. Why did she sound so horrid? "H-how long have I been asleep?" She questioned, mostly to herself, but EDI answered anyway.

"It has been two point six hours."

"Great," Sam groaned. She took a minute to remember why she'd called out to EDI in the first place, "Has there been any change?"

"The Commander and crew returned an hour ago for repairs and debriefing. They are currently preparing to return to Tuchanka's surface in a few hours."

Sam scrambled forward almost falling face first off the bed in her haste, "Shit! EDI, why didn't you wake me!?" She struggled to get her jacket off the chair she had laid it on earlier and nearly rips it while trying to tug it free. "God, this is great. I'm going to be thrown in the brig, wait do we even have a brig?"

Sam continued her struggles, one arm in her jacket while the other is stuck behind her back, caught in the tangled mess, "She's going to sick Liara on me or something. Or maybe even force me to sit and listen to Joker talk about how amazing he is." She stopped suddenly as a horrific thought came to mind, "She-she won't make me clean the lavatories with my toothbrush will she? I just got that back," Sam whined.

"I'm sure the Commander will spare your toothbrush, Samantha."

Sam screeched and just barely managed to not go tumbling over the chair, "Doctor Chakwas!" Shakily falling into the chair (something she didn't think would be possible with her luck lately), Sam covered her face, only letting one of her eyes peek through to see the doctor chuckling at her misfortune.

"Had I known you were this accident prone I would have forced you into the med-bay sooner."

Her heart was still beating wildly in her chest and her brain is too fried on the shock that Sam has no witty retort, "I-is-what?"

Chakwas holds out her hand and Sam recognizes the object in it immediately, "I've had EDI monitoring your stress levels and she informed me that chess might take your mind off a few things."

Sam was silent for a few moments before she choked out, "How often do you monitor my...stress levels, EDI?"

"I keep a constant surveillance of all the crew's thermal readings and fluctuations of abnormalities in case there is an emergency."

"Right." Her eyes dart around nervously, not sure she can handle the thought of EDI reading her body temp amongst other things, her eyes land on Chakwas and she gasped, "Oh crap, I have to get back to the CIC!"

Chakwas layed a hand on Sam's arm, stopping her frantic movements, "No. The Commander can handle things without you for at least another hour. Sit with me and we'll play a round or two. Though, I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty."

Sam merely nods. The stern voice of Doctor Chakwas ensured she won't bother questioning anything and Sam sat down on the old cot, leaving the chair for Chakwas.

As Chakwas turned on the GUI interface she aid, "EDI, inform the Commander that Specialist Traynor has another hour to relax before her help is needed."

"Acknowledged, Doctor Chakwas."

"Now then," Chakwas grinned, Sam was sure it's supposed to be disarming but she swore it was anything but, "try not to defeat this old woman too badly."

* * *

Roughly an hour and a half later Chakwas left the sub-deck and headed for the elevators.

Clearly distracted, Samantha had been a less than stellar opponent. It was another mark in the negative column for Sam's mental stability. She'd heard from some of the crew that Sam had something of a competitive streak when it came to strategy games and it was better for morale to not play against her unless one had quite a few years of experience. She wasn't an expert, but Chakwas knew she could hold her own, at least for a short while. What worried her was that Sam had almost lost countless times and she hadn't even noticed.

It was clear to her that Sam had gotten very little rest in the last few days. The next few hours were going to take their toll on everyone if the ship scuttlebut had any merit to it. Knowing Commander Shepard, curing the genophage was something she would have a hand in. The relaxation she had made Shepard promise to give Samantha didn't seem to be enough and with EDI's strange interruptions about Sam's welfare, while appreciated, wasn't something she'd asked the AI to do. Shepard's knowing grimace and seemingly first-hand knowledge of Sam's reasons for her insomnia and Liara's constant escapes whenever Sam walked into the same space were more than just coincidence and something Chakwas couldn't dismiss any longer.

There were undoubtedly other driving points because Sam held up remarkably well under the constant pressure of Cerberus attacks the two days prior, so her ability to work in the field, as it were, was not in question. Not yet. Any less relaxation during her personal time, however, was a disaster just waiting to happen and Chakwas wanted to avoid that at all cost.

"EDI, please send Commander Shepard to the med-bay the second she becomes available."

"The Commander will be arriving momentarily, she is finalizing mission parameters."

"Thank you," Chakwas slowly let the words out. Informing her of what Shepard was in the middle of wasn't something EDI did often, at least when they were all in professional mode. It was nearly the same as earlier in the week when Chakwas went to visit Shepard in her quarters. Chakwas wouldn't have been surprised if EDI had given her details of the meeting the Commander was currently in.

"What is going on?" She mumbled to herself, idly going through her medical supplies for the upcoming battle.

* * *

"Joker, once this shit is done set course for the Citadel," Shepard barked out the moment she left the medical bay and away from an irate doctor.

"Aye, aye, Commander."

Her shoulders sagged in relief now that she was out of sight of Chakwas. She's going to have to talk to EDI and Liara, as well as Sam. All conversations she is not looking forward to. She briefly wondered if she should speak to Ashley as well, but feels that might do more damage in the long run for everyone involved. She has a small spark of hope that Ashley won't ever find out just how involved in the situation she really is. "Fat chance with the way things are going," Shepard snorted.

"Is everything alright?"

She heard the worried tone from Liara and it does little to calm her frayed nerves. With the combination of the last few days and the twenty minute lecture she just endured, it took all she had to keep her anger in check.

It wasn't enough.

"Not now, Liara," her words came out harsh and Shepard made haste towards the elevator. If there wasn't a genophage to cure, an organization to rip apart, and a bunch of crazy ass Reapers to destroy she'd head straight for the bar.

She spotted Ashley, James, and a forlorn and exhausted looking Sam-she doesn't even need to guess why-sitting in the mess, "What the hell did I get myself involved in?" She cursed to herself, angry for letting something she perceived as harmless to get so out of hand.

"EDI," Shepard barked out.

"Yes, Commander?"

"You and Liara are staying on the ship, tell everyone else to meet in the cargo bay."

Shepard is met with silence and she took the moment to collect herself.

"Understood, Commander."

"Does Liara?" Shepard mumbled, her anger at the situation doesn't mask the hurt she knew she was causing Liara (and in turn herself) but she can't take System Alliance measures with two non-alliance crew and for now this is the best she can do as a sort of punishment until they head to the Citadel. She doesn't need the entire ground crew, but she's being careful. Leaving Liara on the ship at least alleviates some of the fear she had earlier about losing her on the surface of a damn Cerberus and Reaper infested planet.

"Yes," EDI replied. Shepard clenched her fist, knowing EDI explained the events that just took place to Liara and again Shepard felt a pang of regret, leaving words that should be heard directly from her are instead passed along by someone else.

The elevator doors opened and she pushed the thought aside, fury building as she prepared to take part in Krogan history.

* * *

Samantha had stopped worrying (outwardly) about the ground crew after watching them leave and return safely after the fifty-ith something mission (most of the time, as she now vividly remembered the mad rush to the Citadel when Ashley was critically injured. She's glad that she had not known anyone on the ship then). Then Shepard, Liara, and EDI had to go and play matchmaker, or at least tease the ever loving hell out of her and now any time Ashley went ground-side, Samantha couldn't help but find some reason to hover near the docking bay doors. To her horror, Shepard seemed to favor taking Ashley with her and Samantha was sure this kind of worrying stress was quite the opposite of what the trio had tried to do for her.

After a few tense Cerberus-related missions, that Sam had felt personally responsible for, she started hovering behind Joker. He had initially thought the specialist had come to bask in his magnificent humor, which was soon replaced with suspicion that she was hanging around because the cockpit was usually where EDI's body resided. He quickly dismissed that idea when EDI had gone to the War Room with Liara to lend a hand in some capacity and Samantha had still hovered behind him, nervously pacing and mumbling to herself.

"Which one?" He nearly jumped in surprise along with Traynor when he abruptly disrupted the silence.

"Excuse me?" At least she had stopped fidgeting.

"Well, at first I thought you just couldn't stay away from my dazzling personality, but the second any female member of the crew passed by, you totally checked them out. Granted, not as obvious as most guys, but I know how to subtly check out women and you are getting worse as the days go by. I don't even understand how that's possible either—"

"Do you have a point?" Samantha grumbled, her face rapidly getting warmer.

"You've been hovering behind me for the past two weeks, and EDI has been here the last three days, so you're either stuck on Shepard or Liara. Or both, because I'm willing to bet my hat that you've seen Vaenia," her blush only deepened and caused the smirk on Joker's face to turn into a full blown teasing grin. She certainly felt like punching him in the face now, "and the only other option is Tali or the Lieutenant Commander slash newest human Spectre and," he paused and Sam can't figure out where he was going with it, "Hmm, actually I'm not entirely sure about your luck on that one, at least you're human. That should boost your chances at least a little bit."

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Sam hadn't meant for it to sound defensive. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she was defending Ashley or defending her own chances, but there was something about the way he said it that had her tensing and ready to bite back.

"Guess that answers the question," Joker chuckled, not bothering to explain himself.

Instead of snapping back in the negative or denying it altogether, Samantha let out a groan and unceremoniously flopped down in the seat to Joker's left, "It's their bloody fault," She grumbled as she rubbed at her forehead trying, in vain, to stop the oncoming headache.

"The Commander?"

"Yes, damn it! Liara and EDI too! If they hadn't gone and tried to get me to "relax", which I just don't see how a bunch of pictures and some vids would do that, at all, then I wouldn't care this much! I hardly even know anything about her! Just that she has some incredibly alluring shoulder muscles..." Samantha trailed off; more of the images on her omni were popping into her head along with a few that had been burned into her memory from her own personal run-ins with Ashley.

Purely accidental, of course.

Joker's mock enraged, "They gave you pictures!?" was cut off as EDI's voice filtered through the cockpit, "The Commander will be docking shortly, please inform Doctor Chakwas to ready the med-bay."

Ignoring the terror that suddenly erupted inside him and on the face of Traynor, Joker responded, "Anything serious?"

"—I don't need to go to the med-bay, I'm fine! It's just a flesh wound!" The exasperated but amused tone of Ashley came across loud and clear, and Sam nearly fell on her face in her haste to remove herself from the co-pilot seat, "I'm just going to...go back to my post."

Joker smirked and waved her away, "Maybe she'll need some personal one on one time!" He yelled at her retreating figure, laughing as she stumbled and gestured rudely at him before finally disappearing.

* * *

_AN: I had a lot to say, like apologise for the wait(really lots of distractions and I got carried away with the next chapter and forgot that this wasn't posted yet) amongst other things because life was busy and complicated, but I'm too tired to do that lol (super thanks again to __Druzhnik for taking time out of her busy schedule to correct my mistakes)_

_I thank you all for your time and your kind words and I apologise for not getting back to most of you this last chapter. I really do appreciate your...appreciation for my fic. _

_Ps. if there's any glaring mistake please let me know I have gone over this one so many times because this last part in the chapter was actually the very first thing I wrote for this fic so it was important. That and I had some serious issues with staying in the correct tense... ALSO someone mentioned possibly changing the rating because of the ending in that one chapter. As of now, the rating will stay the same because nothing has really happened and won't and when it actually does get farther into super fun times, then yes, I will change the rating lol_


End file.
